The Curious History of Competitive Eating
The annals of competitive eating contests are full of more than just hot dogs.
Becoming the British Virgin Islands
Grappling with a history shaped by colonialism, the British Virgin Islands have built a national identity that embraces change while distancing the neighbors.
Lessons in Mannerism at the Palazzo del Te
The offbeat and unexpected Palazzo del Te, designed by Giulio Romano for Federigo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, has become an icon of Mannerist architecture.
Biofuels: Feeding the Earth or Feeding the Engine?
Around the world, biofuels, so-called green energy sources, are waving major red flags.
The Magical Furniture of David Roentgen
Cabinetmaker to Marie Antoinette, Roentgen designed “surprise furniture,” bureaus and desks that appeared to magically transform at the push of a button.
The Enduring Drive-In Theater
Even as televisions spread across the American landscape, the drive-in movie theater grew in popularity in the years following World War II.
Brunei: A Tale of Soil and Oil
With an economy based almost exclusively on the oil industry, Brunei offers its citizens a high standard of living—but it comes with limitations.
Legal Personhood: Extending Rights to Nature?
The idea of awarding legal personhood to nature has received renewed attention in the contemporary environmental justice movement, but much contention remains.
Building the Olympic Games
A close connection between architecture, athletics, and the urban fabric is central to the idea of the modern Olympic Games.
The Seventeenth-Century Space Race (for the Soul)
The astronomical discoveries of the 1600s—such as Saturn’s rings—prompted new questions about the structure of the cosmos and humans’ place in it.